There’s a ton of speculation about Kate Middleton’s royal baby-to-be, but we know one fact for sure—and it’s that Kate looks great. How’s she staying in such fantastic shape? According to many reports, the typically active and outdoorsy Duchess is practicing prenatal yoga with a private instructor.
I can already see you rolling your eyes and thinking, “Well, who but the royal family can afford private yoga lessons?!,” but the amazing thing is that anyone can play Kate Middleton for a day (or the full ten months of pregnancy!) with our totally doable prenatal yoga video series. We can’t promise that these moves will suddenly give you a posh British accent (or even give you Kate’s gorgeous figure—a lot of that is genetics, people!) but they will help you look and feel your best.
Have you ever tried prenatal yoga? Would you? Tell us about your pregnancy exercise routine, and share your best tips in the comments.
Image of pregnant Kate Middleton via Juriah Mosin / Shutterstock.com.
It’s a Hollywood baby boom. And what better way to celebrate high-profile baby bumps than with funky fashions?!
From Kate Middleton’s pretty trends, to Kim Kardashian’s bold statements, to Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s feminine chic fashions, let’s take a look at the top maternity styles from 10 pregnant celebrities.
Kate Middleton
We’ve only caught a few glimpses of Kate Middleton‘s maternity style — but so far, we approve! After leaving the hospital in December, Kate looked chic in a navy coat accessorized with a light blue scarf while holding a bouquet of yellow roses. And last month, we caught our first glimpse of her barely there belly in a gray Max Mara wrap dress. All eyes will be on the Duchess of Cambridge, 31, in the following months as her baby bump continues to grow.
Kristen Bell
From Hollywood glam, to skinny jeans and scarves, to feminine floral dresses, Kristen Bell has dressed to impress during her first pregnancy. At the Golden Globe Awards in January, the House of Lies star, 32, radiated the red carpet in an embellished floor-length Jenny Packham gown.
Holly Madison
Mom-to-be Holly Madison has been hitting the Las Vegas circuit over the past few months. Embracing her growing belly in form fitting dresses, the Playboy model, 33, has been rocking her baby bump on the red carpet.
Malin Akerman
From rocker chic, to maxi dresses and scarves, to red carpet radiant, Malin Akerman has been leading the way in top maternity trends this season. In November, the Rock of Ages actress, 32, wowed in an all-black ensemble while showcasing her barely there baby bump. As her belly has grown, she has embraced the curves with tight dresses and tops. Such a stunning mom-to-be!
Fergie
Black Eyed Peas frontwoman Fergie announced her pregnancy news last month. And since then, all eyes have been on the singer-fashion designer, 37, as she dresses her lovely baby bump. From all black chic, to layers and scarves, to flowing and feminine, the Grammy Award-winning singer is mixing up the maternity trends during her first pregnancy.
Kim Kardashian
She’s received quite a lot of buzz about her maternity style so far! But what else would you expect from the 32-year-old reality star? She wowed in white on the red carpet, she raised eyebrows in high-waisted peplum pants, and she even wore a see-through blouse. We can’t wait to see how the mom-to-be continues to dress her growing baby bump.
Jenna Dewan-Tatum
Mom-to-be Jenna Dewan-Tatum has been dressing her growing belly in maxi dresses, skinny jeans and layers, and glam red carpet gowns. Always adding the perfect denim jacket or accessory, the Step Up star, 32, has been dressing to impress during her first pregnancy.
Jessica Simpson
During her second pregnancy, Jessica Simpson has looked radiant in black fitted outfits, partnered with chic jackets. From a pretty pink blazer, to modern military jackets, the singer-turned-fashion-designer, 32, is keeping things trendy as her baby bump grows.
Busy Philipps Cougar Town star Busy Philipps has been looking chic in patterned maternity maxi dresses with flats and fitted red carpet gowns during her second pregnancy. Admitting this pregnancy has been “harder” than her first, the actress, 33, is opting for trendy yet comfortable maternity fashions this time around.
Amber Rose
Although she welcomed her first child “The Dash” last month, we’d be remiss not to mention the maternity fashions of Amber Rose. The model mom, 29, embraced her growing baby bump throughout her first pregnancy with form fitting dresses, polka dots, and caps.
Celebrity Baby Scoop is one of the most popular blogs on the topic and the foremost provider of everything celebrity-baby, featuring baby fashion, baby names, baby trends and up-to-the-minute celebrity baby gossip and pics. Get all the latest news, updates, and photos about Hollywood’s most beloved celebrity moms, dads and their babies. Who’s the latest Tinseltown baby? Who’s due next and who just announced a pregnancy? It’s all on Celebrity Baby Scoop.
Huge news to those of us on the royal bumpwatch—Pregnant Kate Middleton is having a girl (or so we think from a slip of the tongue yesterday!). While greeting some of her well wishers in Grimsby, England, a woman gave the Duchess of Cambridge a teddy bear, prompting Kate to say, “Thank you, I’ll take that for my d–” Holy smokes. Of course she could have been saying she’d take that for her dog, Lupo, but it’s way more fun to believe that she meant daughter–and that the royal couple is having a girl!
If Kate Middleton really is having a girl, she’s going to be a bonafide princess—which in this day and age of Disney Princess mania, is a pretty big deal. That said, I really hope Prince William and Kate Middleton’s baby grows up to be a new kind of princess–the kind that resets what the word “princess” means to little girls everywhere. The kind of princess that inspires girls to be more, to do more than simply be beautiful (although with Lady Lovely Locks for a mom, she’s sure to be gorgeous). With that thought in mind, I’ve decided to play fairy godmother and bestow my wishes for the baby princess-to-be:
May she have the courage of Katniss . . .
While it’s insanely unlikely that any royal babe would ever face the trials that Katniss does in the Hunger Games trilogy, I hope that this princess borrows from the heroine’s playbook when it comes to being courageous and doing the right thing.
The moxie of Merida . . .
In Brave, Merida stands up for herself in a way that no other Disney Princess ever has. She doesn’t want to be rescued by a prince, or even to have a prince “rescue” her kingdom. When things go wrong, it’s up to her to set them right—and she does.
The drive of Dora . . .
Whether or not Kate Middleton is having a girl, it’s certain that this child won’t often be left to roam the countryside alone like Dora does! Still, I absolutely hope she emulates Dora’s infectious can-do attitude.
The strength of She-Ra . . .
Come on, guys. How cool would it be to have a real-life Princess of Power? Maybe she wouldn’t have to actually move mountains like He-Man’s sister did, but it would be incredible to have a princess who stood up for important issues and who had the power to really make a difference. Also? It’d kind of be the best thing ever if she rode around on a pegasus.
And the brains of Belle
While I absolutely don’t want Kate Middleton’s baby girl to end up in a relationship with a scary and violent beast (yikes!), I do hope she has Belle’s curiosity about the world, as well as her love of books and knowledge.
If Kate Middleton is having a girl, what do you hope she’ll be like? Do you think she could change the way we think about princesses? I, for one, certainly hope so.
In the wake of a recent startling speech about Kate Middleton, given by writer Hilary Mantel, in which she harshly described the Duchess of Cambridge as a “plastic princess designed to breed,” I began to think about the British monarchy, its meaning in the modern world, and just why Mantel’s lecture upset so many.
The Royal family certainly don’t rule the nation as they once did, and they are by no means in charge of a great empire as in glory days of old. Despite this lack of power and authority, they still hold the titles of prince and princess, king and queen, and arguably live in more luxury and adoration without the weight of leading a nation to battle, the possibility of their heads being chopped off, or any other unsightly consequences of being an unpopular or weak monarch (hung, drawn, and quartered anyone?!).
So what are the royals? What do they represent? I think they probably mean something a little different to all of us, but to me the notion of a royal is quite simply fantastical and escapist–and sometimes I like to daydream! The British people are entitled to their own gripes, from tax paying to political issues, with the royal family, but the rest of world gets to enjoy them without their costly burdens. I began wondering just why we are so in awe of Kate, so eager to see her maternity style, her parenting tactics, and so horribly offended by the label “plastic princess.” Will she breastfeed? we wonder. Have a nanny, and how many? Will she retreat from the public eye? How will she compare to Diana? The questions are endless and for some reason each is just as fascinating as the next.
I think the idea of even a modern-day fairy tale and a princess still having the same concerns, the same considerations as you and me, is comforting. She, too, will after all experience “mommy guilt,” and it will be just as anxiety-provoking for her as it is for us. She, too, may need that calming glass of wine, a good chat with her girlfriends, a few moments to herself locked away in the bathroom, just like the rest of us. She is, after all, human!
And so while she fulfills that little-girl fantasy inside of us, the possibility of becoming a princess, Kate Middleton is also entirely relatable as a new wife and as a mom-to-be, and this simply feels good to those of us watching. It is not a combination we often get to enjoy: princess meets real life. She is a vehicle for our dreams and our everyday woes. So when someone tries to strip her down, we protect her, because we are protecting our dreams and perhaps even more importantly, we are protecting another mom. I don’t see what can possibly be wrong about that!
About 300 million people worldwide tuned in for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton–now formally Duchess of Cambridge–on April 2011 in London’s Westminster Abbey.
In September, news of Kate Middleton surfaced when Italian tabloid magazine Chi distastefully published photos of Middleton sunbathing topless while on vacation in France.
In December, news of Middleton’s pregnancy broke, once again sparking interest in the couple’s relationship and the future heir to the throne–and it was only a matter of time until the paparazzi tried to obtain pictures of the Duchesses’ bump. Lo and behold, it was Chi that managed to buy and publish photos of the couple–Middleton in a bikini exhibiting the tiniest of baby bumps!–on vacation on the Caribbean island of Mustique.
St. James’s Palace is not pleased, citing the publication “a clear breach of the couple’s right to privacy.”
While the couple were on a public beach, and while they are indeed very public figures, the paparazzi’s obsession with obtaining photos of the royal couple–especially of Middleton naked or exposed–is disrespectful. Middleton has managed to mostly keep a low profile, in part because of a diagnosis of hyperemesis gravidarum at the beginning of her pregnancy. But it really is a bummer that she can’t even enjoy a vacation without worrying about photos appearing in tabloids.
What are your thoughts? Is the paparazzi’s obsession with Kate Middleton–or any celebrity’s–baby bump photos totally creepy? Or should the couple expect such scrutiny for being major public figures?
Kate Middleton Baby Bump Photos Published — Royal Family Is Not Pleased
The first photos of Kate Middleton’s bare baby bump have been published by the same Italian gossip magazine that printed pictures of the Duchess sunbathing topless in September, and according to Gawker, the royal family is irate. (via Time)
Texas Dad Accused of Murdering Drunk Driver Who Killed Kids
A Texas father, who watched a drunk driver strike and kill his two young sons, has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting the driver in the head moments after the accident. (via ABC News)
Helping Kids Through Mom’s Deployment
The Pentagon recently announced that women soon will be able to serve in virtually all combat roles. Subsequent reports seemed to create a flurry of confusion — were female soldiers to occupy new positions, or were they finally getting recognition for positions long occupied? (via Time)
Study: ADHD Symptoms Persist Despite Medication in 9 Out of 10 Kids
The current debate over ADHD medication focuses on whether the benefits — improved concentration, better behavior, better performance in school — outweigh the potential risks of medicating young children. Complicating all the abuse potential of ADHD drugs, with students using them off-label to get ahead in school and incidences of addiction, sometimes borne to tragic ends. (via The Atlantic)
Africa ‘Must Think Big for Its Children’
Africa has always been a continent of contrasts. And the latest findings from an amazing team of international researchers show that when it comes to providing our children with the best chances in life, Africa once more presents a very mixed picture. (via CNN)
Now that Princess Kate is into her second trimester, it’s only natural that England (and the world) is abuzz with the burning question, “What will the baby be called?” Well, if I may I’d like to shed a little light on the royal way of naming, so that you can make your own call!
The Royal Family tend to have multiple names. Prince William alone has four: William Arthur Philip Louis. They also tend towards traditional names, especially those of successful monarchs. Elizabeth and Victoria were both extremely strong and successful, as were Arthur and William. Less likely to make the cut would be Henry, considering King Henry famously married six times–and beheaded two wives. As for nontraditional names, only Princess Anne’s son (Prince William’s cousin) has gone that route, with Savannah and Isla.
To avoid confusion, the royals tend not to use the name of any living monarch. And while Diana is a possibility, her family name Spencer is not! (From the royals’ perspective, the extended Spencer clan has been nothing but trouble.) One good possibility is Louis, as Lord Louis Mountbatten was a close relative of the Queen’s and a favorite of Prince Charles. He was killed by the IRA, and William may choose to honor him. Finally, Kate’s family names are unlikely to be picked for this first baby in line for the throne, but may indeed be possibilities for subsequent siblings.
If I was a betting lady, I would put George and Louis at the top of my boy list, and Victoria or Carole at the top of my girl’s. British bookies have made some picks for Kate and Wills’s firstborn–see their choices below.
P.S. I love that they included Princess Waynetta as a possibility, even if it’s got 1000 to 1 odds!
There’s a ton of speculation about Kate Middleton’s royal baby-to-be, but we know one fact for sure—and it’s that Kate looks great. How’s she staying in such fantastic shape? According to many reports, the typically active and outdoorsy Duchess is practicing prenatal yoga with a private instructor.
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About 300 million people worldwide tuned in for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton–now formally Duchess of Cambridge–on April 2011 in London’s Westminster Abbey.
Check out blog posts by 